Trash/Thrash Tuesday: Korpiklaani – “Vodka”

Hey friends. How’s it going? Ready to face the banality of another work week while praying desperately for the weekend? Did you have a nice weekend? Did you spend it like I did, hanging out of a hotel room balcony hollering at bitches that their tits were out and sending paper airplanes with hateful notes inside down to the masses? No? If this is the case, then you have not lived yet, and I feel poorly for you.

The reason I was hanging out of a window and hollering was because this past weekend I journeyed to Vancouver, BC to see Korpiklaani and shoot photographs for them at the show. Now, I’m a big fan of Korpiklaani and have been for many years. I think this now counts as the sixth time that I’ve seen the band and clearly this review is going to fall into more of the THRASH category. Korpiklaani, considered national treasures in Finland have perfectly married metal and pagan folk music and with the advent of their new album Noita, still continue to do this.

Previously known for rousing drinking songs called “Beer, Beer”, “Tequila”, and this week’s THRASH song “Vodka”, Korpiklaani have grown immensely into a band that has become a beautiful example of shamanistic music set in an atmosphere of metal. Jonne Jarvela, the singer of Korpiklaani has recently released his solo effort and continue to expand on his understanding of shamanic practices. Noita is an amazing album, but I’m not here to meditate with you. This is an older Korpiklaani track, “Vodka”, but it was one of the few older songs played at the show this past Sunday and I can tell you unequivocally that everyone in the crowd went fucking crazy and the already sweat and beer soaked mosh pit cum country line dance jig became a frenzy of spilled beer and soaking wet bodies. I was deep in the throes of it all smashing around and at one point doing a crazy jig with some random dude who was wearing a tunic and war paint.

If you ever want to feel a primal joy and kind of celebration, a Korpiklaani show is really the place to unleash your inner LARP nerd and let loose and do that crazy jig, drink all your ale out of a horn, and totally not be the nerdiest person there.

Allow me to say right now if you don’t listen to Korpiklaani, I can only assume that you are one of those black clad serious types that stands perfectly still with their legs spread a shoulder length apart nodding meaningfully to noise music, and that you also have no soul and that I also hate you. If you don’t put on this song and want to drink forties with loose women, then you can fuck right off.

Korpiklaani – Vodka

Vodka! Vodka! Vodka! Vodka! Hey!

Vodka, you’re feeling stronger
Vodka, no more feeling bad
Vodka, your eyes are shining
Vodka, you are the real man

Drinking is good for you,
soon you are unconstrained
Drinking is good for you,
Here comes the womanizer
Drinking is good for you
Not anymore lonesome
Drinking is good for you,
And you will feel awesome
And you will feel awesome

Hey!

Out of respect for nature,
Our vodka and drinkers.
Promising, that the vodka
We reserve, is as pure as it was
Thousands of years ago

Out of respect for nature,
Our vodka and drinkers.

Vodka, you’re feeling stronger
Vodka, no more feeling bad
Vodka, your eyes are shining
Vodka, you are the real man

Drinking is good for you,
Soon you are unconstrained
Drinking is good for you,
Here comes the womanizer
Drinking is good for you
Not anymore lonesome
Drinking is good for you,
And you will feel awesome

Drinking is good for you,
Soon you are unconstrained
Drinking is good for you,
Here comes the womanizer
Drinking is good for you
Not anymore lonesome
Drinking is good for you,
Yeah!

Yeah!

Vodka, you’re feeling stronger
Vodka, no more feeling bad
Vodka, your eyes are shining
Vodka, you are the real man

Drinking is good for you,
Soon you are unconstrained
Drinking is good for you,
Here comes the womanizer
Drinking is good for you
Not anymore lonesome
Drinking is good for you,
And you will feel awesome

Vodka!

Until next week kiddies, drink your vodka, always out of a horn, and always stay spooky.

-You can find the oldblackgoat on twitter drinking too much vodka and LARPing.